Recently public hearings have been held on health care reform. One of the proposals under consideration is universal coverage for all health care with mandated insurance coverage, coverage for baskets of care, and medical homes for patients with chronic diseases. The medical home model is designed to link patients with specific family physicians, specialty physicians, hospitals and other health care providers for lifetime care that includes acute, chronic and preventive care. The proposal is for a patient to select a panel of providers that stays with him or her, even though the insurance plan may change from insurance company to insurance company or health plan to health plan, as this provides a better understanding of the patient's physical and mental health conditions. There is a need for a medical card that would hold medical information of a patient which could be used as the patient moves through the health care delivery system.
Card user misidentification is common in electronic transactions and accessing personal information. It is often difficult for businesses and agencies to stop misidentification.